New kitchen at the Memorial Hall

We provided a new kitchen in the Memorial Hall in 2016. The existing kitchen was a mixture of old and new units, an old gas cooker and a large double-drainer sink brought from the old Memorial Hall in 1980.

The project was led by Anne Sherlock, with a small team of Hall users. We wanted a basic kitchen, hygienic, easy to use and easy to clean. We asked the community for their ideas, and we visited other community buildings looking for ideas. Three contractors gave us estimates. Sam Lock, Penmaenmawr was chosen. The total estimated price was £6010.

We applied for an Awards for all Wales lottery grant of £4508, 75% of the total. A4A Wales give grants up to £5000. The application form was easy to complete and all done online. We had expected to have to wait months for a decision, and we were amazed to get an offer of the full amount just two weeks later. We then had to prove to A4A Wales that we actually own the freehold of the Memorial Hall. This involved asking our solicitors to retrieve the original deed of transfer of the land to the Memorial Hall trustees.

The installation was very successful. There was no disruption to Hall activities. The old kitchen was reused in Hefin Jones Motor Repairs’ workshop, saving us the cost of hiring skips. The kitchen was painted by Barry Liepins, Deganwy.

We had searched for a suitable double sink/ double drainer without success. Sam Lock suggested using a left hand sink and drainer and a right hand sink and drainer side by side. This works very well, and is a great improvement when the kitchen is very busy, eg on Carnival day. Three people can now work together without congestion. The new kitchen meets all our requirements.

The new kitchen has been checked and approved by Conwy County Borough Council’s Food Safety Officer.

We thoroughly recommend Sam Lock, Penmaenmawr and Barry Liepins, Deganwy and Awards for All Wales.